Meghan McCain Goes On “Identity Politics” Rant: Are “Race and Gender More Important Than Qualifications?”

For what seems like the millionth time, Meghan McCain raged against “identity politics” during a heated monologue on The View Wednesday morning. The lengthy screed saw McCain condemn Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s protest over President Biden’s lack of Asian American cabinet picks, a move she feels runs contrary to the idea of an American meritocracy. “The question Democrats have to reconcile with is whether or not race and gender are more important than qualifications,” said the conservative co-host. “It is not what Martin Luther King, Jr. preached. I think this is a very, very slippery slope.”

While McCain’s co-hosts praised Duckworth’s promise to oppose Biden’s nominees unless he names an Asian American or Pacific Islander to his cabinet, the conservative firebrand didn’t feel the same. “I believe that what makes America exceptional is that we’re a meritocracy. That you can be anything, that you can come from anywhere, and you can go and have success in any capacity,” she said. “If you have someone who is more qualified who happens to be a white, straight person, who has more experience in whatever field they’re being nominated for than a minority with less experience — are we now in a place where this matters?”

McCain then proceeded to cite two examples of so-called identity politics at work: a lawsuit claiming that Harvard University discriminates against Asian American applicants (a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the school in November 2020), and the recent stimulus bill giving “money to minority farmers, but excluded women farmers.”

“We’re going to a place where if people need money, even if people are qualified to get into Ivy Leagues, race and gender is more important than your skill qualifications, the content of your character,” said McCain. “This is actually the natural progression of identity politics.”

“I will say, just to put a cap on this: The View is 25 years old next year. We’ve only had one Asian American host. So, does that mean one of us should be leaving at some point because there’s not enough representation?” she continued. “What we’re talking about is identity politics more important than qualifications for a job, and I think that’s a question that the progressive left is going to have to reconcile.”

To their credit, both Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin stepped in to correct parts of McCain’s monologue. “Eventually we’re going to come back and talk about the Black farmers and why they were given that money. It’s very specific,” said Goldberg. “I couldn’t let that hang, because it was done very specifically.” (A few minutes later, McCain clarified her remark, saying, “I was just concerned that women farmers were not included in the stimulus along with African American farmers.”)

“We would all love for this country to be a meritocracy, but this country has not been a meritocracy,” added Hostin after the commercial break. “For a long time, this country has exalted and advanced white, male mediocrity … It’s not about gender and race being more important and qualifications. It’s about the fact that there are many qualified women and minority candidates that never get the opportunity because, again, the advancement of white, male mediocrity.”

Watch Meghan McCain’s identity politics rant above.

Where to stream The View